The Strongest Warrior
by DiamondEyes94
Summary: Astrid Hofferson is determined to be the best female viking the viking world has ever seen. Her goal is to become The Strongest Warrior, and do her village and family proud. Hiccup Haddock, heir to her tribe, the Hairy Hooligans, accompanies her through her journey. Hiccstrid ahead. Rating may change. Set before HTTYD 1. AU.
1. Chapter 1

A/N No I do not own HTTYD

The strongest warrior. **The strongest warrior.** _The strongest warrior_. _**The strongest warrior**_. These 3 words were the only words running through Astrid's mind as she repeatedly lodged her trusty axe into her choice tree for the day. The drive to excel, the perseverance, the determination to be the absolute best in her generation and perhaps even for generations to come, kept her training intensely every day.

*Focus, aim, THROW* THWACK.

*Focus, aim, THROW* THWACK.

*Focus, aim, THR-ARRGHHH* Handle having almost left her grasp but not quite yet, she quickly did a backspin to secure her axe from being thrown at the scrawny, auburn haired boy who had just stumbled into her line of fire.

"YIKES! I'm so s-s-sorry As-Astrid." Hiccup apologized profusely as the blonde haired girl turned to pin him down with a stare. Seeing him cowering in fear, she softened her glare by just a little bit, but remained furious at him for nearly getting himself killed (or at the very least injured very badly).

 _Always at the wrong place at the wrong time doing the wrong things, it was common knowledge that Hiccup was a walking disaster in the village. However, they had been pretty good friends back in their earlier childhood days. Clumsy as he was, he did at least come up with really interesting ideas to occupy their free time together. Her father was Chief Stoick's right hand man, and her mother had been good friends with the Chief's wife, Valka. Whenever duty called, they would drop Hiccup off at her house so he could have some company while they did their work. As such, she had spent a considerable amount of time playing with Hiccup, the chief's son. He was always shy but polite when he was over at her house, a well-mannered albeit scrawny kid. He'd opened up to her after some time, having gotten used to her company. He loved to draw, anything and everything, from houses to trees to ships and whatever else he laid his eyes on, and boy could he draw. Images came to life as he artfully drew on the sketchbook he brought everywhere with him. She knew he'd drawn her occasionally, but he was careful to hide them away from her. There was that one time though, when she'd managed to snatch his sketchbook away after she knew he'd drawn a picture of her. He had gotten all flustered, and desperately pleaded her to return it to him. She'd taken pity on him and complied, but only after she had taken a good, long look at his drawing of her. He'd stood stock still and closed his eyes while she inspected his drawing, looking for all the world like he was a man condemned to the gallows. It had been a drawing of her practicing with a miniature axe in her backyard. It was really detailed, depicting the finer aspects of her lithe and toned body, as well as her smooth, long hair in mid swing as she threw her axe. In extremely small letters, he had signed the drawing with his signature "_ _ **HHHIII**_ _" at the bottom of the page, as well as "_ _ **The most beautiful Valkyrie in all of Asgard**_ _" on top of it. She had blushed a little, leaned in and given him a light peck on the cheek and then raced off after returning him his sketchbook. Before he disappeared from her line of sight, she caught one last glimpse of him. He was still rooted to the spot, but his eyes were wide, as though they would pop out of his sockets at any given moment. His right hand had reached up to touch the spot where she had kissed him, and he had the most crooked, stupid smile on his face. She found it cute (not that she would ever admit it to anyone), and decided she might do it more often just to see that dumb, elated expression plastered on his face._

 _As fate would have it, Hiccup was not his father's son. Where Stoick was gargantuan in size and stature, Hiccup was small and meek as a mouse. He was more brain than brawn, but unfortunately, they were Vikings, and brawn was more highly valued than brain. Even so, Stoick loved his son very much, but he was unable to protect him from his cousin Snotlout's bullying. Snotlout was the supposed definition of a proper Viking, literally all brawn and no brain. He couldn't count to save his life, and charged headlong into any situation blindly. Astrid had tried her best to stem the bullying, but she couldn't always be around to protect him as she had her own chores and training to do. She had an ambition, and that was to be the strongest warrior. She still cared about her childhood friend, but as time passed, she had less and less time to spare to entertain him and his ideas, although she did still find some of them rather intriguing._

"C'mon Hiccup…can't you be more careful? You know I'd hate to kill you right?" she reprimanded him for his lack of caution when entering her training area.

"Well you kinda seem like the only one who thinks that," Hiccup replied sarcastically, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck as he tended to do when nervous.

*Whack!* her fist collided with his arm.

"OWW! Why would you DO that?" Hiccup whined, rubbing the sore spot where he was sure a bruise would be appearing at soon enough.

 _*Sigh*_ "Hiccup. Don't-"

"Don't what, Astrid? Don't pretend like nobody in the village wants me around? Don't pretend I'm not a walking disaster, a time bomb waiting to fuck something up? Don't-UGH, OK, I'm sorry Ast."

"So…are you saying I don't want you around either?" Astrid sounded a little hurt.

"NO! Nononono I meant nobody but you! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry please forgive me please forgive me…" Hiccup started getting all flustered and apologetic, thinking he might have just fucked up almightily and lost the one person who actually kind of cared for him.

Astrid studied him for a while, and seeing how sad and desperate he was getting decided to let him off the hook.

"Alright, fine. But please, STOP saying those kinds of things. You KNOW I'm still here for you right?" she told him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

Hiccup flashed his signature lopsided smile. "Yeah…you're the BEST, Astrid. Oh, by the way, I nearly forgot. I came looking for you to give you…THIS!" He fished out a brand new sparkling axe from a bag he had been carrying along with him and presented it to her.

Astrid looked on in shock, having not expected such a present being given to her out of nowhere for no apparent reason. She took the axe, which had rubies engraved into the end of the wooden handle, as well as sapphires etched into the axe head, making the sunlight gleam off it. She gave it a test swing, feeling the perfect balance, the sharpness of the blade, and the hard work put into the crafting of such an extraordinary weapon.

"Wow…Thanks Hiccup! But, what did I do to deserve this? I mean, these rubies and sapphires, they've got to cost a fortune! And I have nothing to pay you back with…I can't possibly accept this!" Astrid, realizing how much the axe was probably worth and knowing how poor her family was, decided that she couldn't accept such a gift, and tried giving the axe back to Hiccup.

"Nuh uh, keep it. It's my gift to you. For, you know, protecting me all these years from Snotlout and the twins, keeping me company when my parents went off on business, tolerating my rambling and stupid ideas and such. This, this here, is just a humble collection of materials I've gathered through my years of helping Gobber out. I really hope you'll accept it as a token of my appreciation." _And love_ , he thought to himself, for he had always had a hopeless crush on this Valkyrie whom he had known all his life, ever since the first day he had laid his eyes on her all those years ago.

"…Hiccup…I will treasure this axe. Always. Thank you SO MUCH! And look, this here is proof of how you're not useless. You will NEVER be useless to me," feeling overwhelmed, Astrid held his chin, pressed her lips to his briefly, then embraced him in a tight hug so she didn't have to face him with her burning cheeks.

Hiccup, on the other hand, could have died that very second and been a happy man. _**ASTRID**_ _**just kissed me. Astrid just KISSED me. Astrid just kissed ME.**_ Well, he thought to himself, that makes all the sleepless nights, the effort and the money all worth it.

"Hey Hiccup."

"Yea?"

"Why don't I…teach you how to fight, to defend yourself? I'm sure you've developed enough muscle from all the work you've done in the forge for the past few years. Let me train you? Please? I…don't want to see you getting picked on and not being able to defend yourself." Astrid pulled away and looked at Hiccup with pleading eyes.

Hiccup was a little apprehensive. As tempting as the offer was, since he got to learn to fight AND got to spend more time with Astrid, he was worried for her reputation, which she had put much effort into upholding. If she were to be seen sticking around the village screw up, it was sure to get tongues wagging, and truth be told he was absolutely terrified of her father. Her mother had always been kind to him though, probably from all those times she had to watch over him when his mom left him in her care, but her father still scared the living daylights out of him. He did NOT want to find out what his reaction would be if he learnt that his daughter was still in his constant company.

Not only that, he knew of her ambitions too. To become the best shieldmaiden Berk had ever seen, to excel at whatever she did, to slay the most number of dragons, to be…the strongest warrior. And he knew, if she were to devote her time to helping him, it would inevitably slow down her own progress, which was not something he wanted her to sacrifice when she had worked so hard for all that she had achieved.

"I…I'm not sure Astrid. I like the idea, but I don't want you to make unnecessary sacrifices for this lil fishbone. I…I'm not worth your time Ast."

*Whack!*

"OWW! WHY WOULD YOU- never mind, I guess I had it coming."

"You bet you did! And come on, you've always made sacrifices for me, why can't I do the same for you? I mean, look at this axe you just gave me! The hours you must have put into it for such detail, to balance it perfectly for me, to sharpen the edges so expertly, to engrave and embed those jewels, the worth of this axe is not something my teaching you to fight would ever be able to repay. So it's settled! I'll be by your house to pick you up by 8am. We'll head to the Great Hall for breakfast, and then we shall begin your training!" Astrid made up her mind.

Hiccup, seeing that there was no point in arguing with her, decided that he would just have to suck it up and take her up on her offer. He seriously hoped he wouldn't impede her progress, but also really hoped he wouldn't embarrass himself too much by screwing up the training regime she was going to prepare for him. He did, however, look forward to being able to spend all that precious time with his crush, and hopefully she might reciprocate his feelings wholly someday, if the kiss she had given him was any indication of hope.


	2. Chapter 2

**To Sir Baron: Let's just leave it at that he has come across it when Trader Johann had been rambling on about one of his journeys to faraway lands.**

 **To earthraindragon1: I'm glad you like it. They are 15 years old.**

 **To the rest of my readers/reviewers: Thanks! It's good to know you guys have enjoyed my story so far. I will try my best to get updates in here and there.**

 **Thanks for the review guys! This is my first time writing a fanfic, and the positive reviews were a pleasant surprise. That being said, I regret to inform you that updates for this story are likely to be few and far between as I am rather busy at this given point in time. Still, fret not for I shall still try to make as much time as possible to update the story for my beloved readers. Anyway, onwards to the next chapter!**

Hiccup awoke with a start from his rather pleasant dreams, which had much to do with his anticipation to spend time with Astrid. Checking the position of the Sun in the sky, he guessed it was only around 7, so he had time to get rid of his morning wood, do some drawing and mentally prepare himself for whatever he had just been dragged into. His father had already left for his early morning rounds as chief, so he didn't have to worry about getting caught in the act as he made his way to his outhouse.

Unbeknownst to Hiccup, Astrid had awoken at the same time and had decided to check in on him to see if he had woken up already. She quickly washed and dressed herself, before grabbing her trusty axe and heading out. As she made her way over to the chief's house, she pondered over what she would get Hiccup to do that day. Running? Lifting? Throwing? Sparring? She couldn't really make up her mind, so she decided she'd get Hiccup's opinion on it. Nearing her destination, she thought she heard some strange noises coming from the Haddock's outhouse. _Perhaps Hiccup is up already after all_ , she thought to herself. She had seen Stoick walking about while on her way over, so it only made sense that Hiccup would be the one using the toilet. Moving closer to knock and confirm the identity of who was inside, she heard some grunts and groans, and then a distinct "HHNNGGH, Assssstriiiid!"

Now Astrid, while not ignorant to what married couples do on their wedding night and on other separate occasions, had not heard of pleasuring oneself before. As such, she had no clue as to what Hiccup could possibly have been doing. However, feeling a little concerned for Hiccup's voice had sounded a bit strained, she went ahead and knocked on the door.

"Hiccup? Are you ok? I heard some strange noises coming from in there."

Having just finished his morning ritual, Hiccup was in a state of peace, but upon hearing the voice of the person he was fantasizing about coming from just outside the toilet, panic immediately set in, especially since she had apparently heard him making noises.

"Astrid! Hey Astrid hi Astrid! Umm, wh-what are y-you…doing here so early? It's not 8 already is it?" He asked while quickly cleaning up and preparing himself to look as normal as possible given the circumstances.

"Well, I wasn't sure if you would wake up on time, so I decided to come over and check in on you. Guess it wasn't needed huh," she replied.

"Yeah…I guess so..."

The first thing Astrid noticed when Hiccup appeared at the door was that his face was flushed, and he awkwardly stood there as she inspected him.

"So…what WERE you doing in there? I heard my name too, and I don't think that's necessary for what people would normally be doing in a toilet do you?" She asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

Hiccup had been wrecking his brain to come up with a believable excuse, and after weighing his options decided on one.

"Uhhhh…well, I thought, you know, since I'm going to be tortured later, I might as well start it off first myself with some…PUSH UPS! Yea…I was doing push ups in there."

"Aaaand why would you need to say my name while doing push ups?"

"Well, erm, I'm not too sure either, it just kind of happened? Like, I guess I was using you for some motivation?"

Astrid didn't buy it of course, but she couldn't really think of anything else Hiccup could have been doing. Deciding it didn't really matter in the end, she gave up further questioning. She did, however, decide to torture her friend a little more for not being truthful, even though it was probably a white lie.

"Ok. Well now, what say you to an earlier breakfast then? Since we're both awake already. No point in lazing about more than necessary huh? Wouldn't be good for your body to go and get sluggish when there's work to be done soon. Let's go!"

With that, she turned and headed for the Great Hall. After a few steps, she realized Hiccup wasn't following her.

"Umm, at least let me change into a more appropriate outfit first?"

"Alright, but step on it! I expect you at the Great Hall in 10 minutes pronto!"

"Yes, ma`am!"

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(At the Great Hall 10 minutes later)

Astrid had already begun her meal when Hiccup arrived. As he approached her, she decided he was too scrawny and so needed to bulk up a little.

"Alright, first things first, you're gonna need to eat a hefty breakfast to make sure you have enough energy to last till lunch. So, get going! Make sure to eat lots of protein."

"Okay."

As Hiccup was getting his food, Snotlout, for some reason, was also up and about already, happened to pass by.

"Hey fishbone! Whatchu gonna do with all that food huh? Keep it to feed wild dragons so they don't eat you instead? Haha!"

"Well, I thought since most of the villagers, including you, seem to be getting a little too pudgy, I might as well help you all slim down by taking a little more food. After all, maybe I'll stop being a fishbone someday if I eat more." Hiccup drawled sarcastically.

"Pudgy? What's that?" Being the pea-brained prick that he was, Snotlout had no idea whether Hiccup had just insulted him or complemented him.

Hiccup, not looking for trouble so early in the morning, decided to go with a less insulting description.

"You know, large beefy arms, stout body and muscle everywhere? Yeah…"

Luckily for him, Snotlout bought it.

"Hmph! That's right and don't you get forget it! Maybe I'll let you touch my guns someday, when you're no longer a walking fishbone," Snotlout flexed his biceps, trying to look cool.

 _I'd probably rather stay a walking fishbone then_ , Hiccup thought to himself.

After the awkward exchange with Snotlout, Hiccup quickly made his way back to Astrid and began eating.

0000000000

With breakfast out of the way, Astrid led Hiccup into the woods towards her usual training spot.

"Nothing like a pleasant morning stroll through nature to aid digestion eh?"

"Yup…"

"I saw Snotlout talking to you back at the Great Hall. What did he want?"

"Oh you know, the usual, belittling me, flaunting his 'guns' as he puts it, being a Viking through and through. Ah, and he was also so kind as to offer me a chance to touch his 'guns' when I am no longer a walking fishbone. How generous of him eh?"

Astrid laughed at his witty sarcasm, but still felt somewhat disgusted with Snotlout.

"Well, guess you'd want to stay a walking fishbone then."

"My sentiments exactly…"

They finally arrived at their destination, and Astrid put Hiccup to work.

"I trust you know that this is not going to be easy, right?"

"Yep. Pain? Love it!"

"C'mon Hiccup, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it!"

"Alright alright, what do you want me to do?"

"You see that tree there?"

"Yeah…you're not going to ask me to chop it down or something are you…?"

"Ha ha, very funny Hiccup. Don't go giving me any ideas or you might regret it."

"Ok, sorry ma`am!"

"We'll start with some endurance training. I want you to run to that tree, then over to that other tree there, and back. Repeat that 10 times and then I'll give you a few choices. Pick one and that will be the agenda for the day. Go!"

 **I'll be absolutely frank here; I'm not entirely sure where I want this story to go. On one hand, if I were to go deep with the dragons and stuff, it's probably going to take quite a long time to finish with my busy schedule. On the other hand, if I didn't do that, I feel like the story would be kind of incomplete. Therefore, I'd like your opinions on the matter. However, I may still stick my original ideas, since I have a rough plan of how I intend to go about the story along those lines.**

 **Anyway, R &R! Let me know if you liked this chapter, and if not, how you think it should have turned out. I'm changing the rating to M to be on the safe side. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: No I do not own HTTYD.**

From just the running routine, Hiccup's legs already felt like lead, weighing him down as though he were shackled by the ankles to heavy steel balls. Of course, that was just the beginning. A short respite later, Astrid took him through sparring, archery, the basics of hand-to-hand combat, and another short running session throughout the rest of the day. Lunch had been packed and brought by Astrid, so they didn't have to make the trek to and back from the village. After what felt like eternity, dusk finally set in and training had ended for the day.

"So, how're you feeling, Hiccup?"

* _Incoherent moaning and groaning*_

"What's that? It's too easy for you? We'll take it up a notch tomorrow then…" Astrid began cheekily.

"NO! NONONONO! How about we take it DOWN a notch? Please? I feel like a Gronckle is sitting on me right now…" Hiccup complained, his entire body aching.

"Aww c'mon! Don't be such a wuss! You snooze you lose~" Astrid singsong-ed. "Now let's get back for dinner before search parties come looking for us."

Hiccup groaned some more, but struggled to get up anyway. He could've sworn Astrid was practically _prancing_ around in glee at his misfortune. Then again, if he could get her to smile like this every day just by going along with her training regiment, he would do it in a heartbeat. Seeing that smile, he gathered up his strength and stumbled after her back to the village. After dinner, she bade him a goodnight and even though his day was torturous, he was still looking forward to what the next day would bring. _I must have a few screws loose to be anticipating pain so much_ , he thought to himself.

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0000000000

(6 months later)

"HIIIIIYAAA!" Astrid opened with a vicious two-handed overhead swing at Hiccup with her wooden axe.

*THWACK!*

 _Hiccup had grown, not in just strength and skill, in the past 6 months under the strict training of Astrid. He could now lift any weapon with ease and had even managed to win a few bouts of their sparring sessions. He had excellent aim, and as such loved archery more than anything else. With newly developed lean muscles and abs, he was no longer a weak, scrawny looking kid. He could take Snotlout in a fight any day now, though with all the time he spent training and helping Gobber in the forge, he didn't cross paths with his cousin very much so there weren't really many opportunities for Snotlout to do any bullying._

 _Astrid, while perhaps slightly disheartened that Hiccup was able to beat her in archery and in the occasional sparring session, was extremely pleased at his progress, especially since SHE was the one training him. Who would've thought, Hiccup the screw-up could be trained to fight. She wondered why nobody had bothered trying before, then remembered that his father was the Chief and probably didn't have time to spare for a son whom he hadn't harboured any hope for, though he DID still love him all the same. It was never the same for Hiccup after his mother was carried off by a Stormcutter in a dragon raid, for she always gave Snotlout a good scolding if she ever saw him trying to pick on his smaller and weaker cousin. Regardless, those days were DEFINITELY OVER with Hiccup as he was now._

Hiccup blocked the move with his wooden sword, then spun clockwise while sliding his blade into nook of Astrid's axe and pushed it down, then stepped on it and raised his sword to her chest, claiming his victory and smirked at Astrid's huff of indignation.

"Point to me, milady."

"Oh shush you. Don't forget who taught you to fight," Astrid said teasingly as she stuck out her tongue at him.

"Aw gimme some credit why don't you. I came up with that move all on my own!" Hiccup protested with mock hurt in his voice.

"Alright alright, I'll admit it. That was a pretty cool move. Though I guess it should be expected from you, with all your crazy ideas and inventions and whatnot."

"I'll take that as a compliment milady."

*Whack!* she punched him in the shoulder. "Show off!"

Hiccup rubbed his shoulder, pretending it hurt when it actually didn't.

"Ow!"

"Wuss!"

"Well you did just lose a sparring match to a 'wuss' as you put it," Hiccup said cheekily.

Astrid's face started heating up as she realized that there was no witty comeback to that.

"BACK TO TRAINING, MISTER!"

Hiccup knew better than to argue with her at this point.

"YES MA`AM!"

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As the day drew to a close and they were back in the village, Hiccup insisted Astrid accompany him to the forge first.

"Come on, I want to show you something."

"Can't it wait till after dinner? I'm starving…"

"I…don't want other people seeing it. I'll probably get laughed at again…"

"So it's one of your crazy inventions huh. Alright I'll come along. But only because you always sharpen my weapons for free."

"Come on I know it's because of all this irresistible raw Viking-ness!"

*Whack!*

"HEY!"

"Can't all that 'raw Viking-ness' deal with my punches?"

"Sure it can. That's why I said 'hey' and not 'ouch'."

"Is that a challenge, Haddock?"

"Err…maybe not, milady."

Once they arrived at the forge, Hiccup quickly pulled Astrid towards his room at the back. A contraption covered with a cloth sat in the middle of the room.

"So, I've been thinking; since I'm pretty good at aiming, but don't really have the strength to fire at high enough speeds, I decided to build…THIS!"

With that, he uncovered his invention, which looked similar to a catapult.

"I call this the bola launcher. With this, I intend to shoot down the most elusive dragon we know of. The Night Fury. If I accomplish this feat, my father, the villagers, everyone will surely come to accept me. I will gain their respect and acknowledgement, and life will get infinitely better. But since I'm mainly stuck in the forge with Gobber during the raids, I'll need your help. Once you hear it arrive, get Gobber to go out there. Then, I will take my bola launcher and find that Night Fury. Can you do this for me? Please?" Hiccup implored Astrid.

She could see the desperation in his eyes, the need to be accepted, to feel like he belonged, and especially to see approval in his father's eyes instead of the constant disappointment. She couldn't say no.

"You can count on me."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I do not own HTTYD.**

"DRAGON RAID!"

Dozens of food-stealing, fire-breathing, scaly-winged reptiles darted in and out of the village, grabbing any kind of food they could get their claws on and wreaking havoc everywhere. Villagers rushed to defend their yaks, chickens, fish and whatnot. Houses were lit aflame and the clash of steel against scales and claws were all over the place as the war between dragons and Vikings raged on.

Things appeared to be under control, when the high pitch shriek made its entrance into the scene.

"NIGHT FURY!"

"GET DOWN!"

*BOOOM!*

Watchtowers were blown up and catapults were blasted to smithereens as the infamous unholy offspring of lightning and death participated in the fight.

 _Here's my chance!_ Hiccup thought to himself, looking up from the axe he was repairing. _I just hope Astrid remembers to help me distract Gobber_.

"GOBBER! WE NEED YOU OUT HERE! THE NIGHT FURY IS TOO MUCH! WE NEED MORE PEOPLE TO HOLD THEM OFF!" Astrid's voice came through the window.

 _Thank Odin for sending this Valkyrie to be among us! I knew I could count on her._

"Hiccup! I'm going out! Man the forge lad!"

"Okay!"

Gobber quickly attached his axe to his stump and hobbled out to fight, leaving Hiccup to his own devices. He trusted Hiccup enough to leave him alone in the forge by now, as he had been able to stay out of trouble for quite a long period of time (because he was busy training with Astrid but people didn't know that).

As soon as Gobber disappeared from sight into the fray, Astrid popped her head into the forge.

"Ready to go, crazy boy?"

"I'm on it milady."

With Astrid's help, the two of them wheeled his bola launcher out to a strategic viewpoint and set it up. The Night Fury was extremely hard to see in the dark since it blended in so well, but it was a starry night and Hiccup was determined to make history.

"C'mon, show yourself…" Hiccup mumbled to himself as he took in his surroundings.

"THERE!" The shrieking sound of the Night Fury alerted the two youngsters of its presence as it shot towards a catapult, a bright purple plasma blast building up in its mouth.

Hiccup swung his contraption around, lined up for his best shot, and let loose.

Time seemed to slow down for Hiccup and Astrid as they watched the bola sail through the air, breaths held in suspense while waiting for the outcome of the shot. As fate would have it, Hiccup's aim was true as ever and hit the Night Fury dead on in the middle before it completed its dive bomb. With an agonizing shriek, it fell down into the forest.

Hiccup couldn't believe his eyes. _I've done it!_ He thought to himself. _No, wait. WE'VE done it!_

*Whack!*

"You did it!"

"WE did it."

A quick glance around told them that nobody else had witnessed the amazing feat, but Hiccup couldn't care less.

"So…are you going to tell your dad and get a search party out there to look for it?"

"….No. Others could easily take my credit. Yes I know you will vouch for me babe, but who else will? I'm not taking that risk, not when I'm so close to making a name for myself. Hiccup the Useless will be no more, I will be a legend for generations to come! Also…I hate to come off as selfish, but could you not be at my side when I bring back my trophy? Because people will be sure to accuse me of stealing the prize from you. It's not that I don't think you deserve credit, of course I do, but it's just-"

"Hiccup."

"…I'm sorry."

"Babe, relax. I **know** how much this means to you. Of course I'm not going to take it away from you. Besides, all I really did was distract Gobber to give you the opportunity to take the shot."

"…I really love you Astrid."

"I know. Now you need to get back to the forge and make it seem like you were there the whole time. We'll go looking for that Night Fury first thing tomorrow morning."

"Ok, be safe Astrid. Goodnight."

The two bade each other farewell and crept back to their designated stations for the rest of the raid.

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(The next morning)

Hiccup could barely sleep that night, he was way too excited about finding that Night Fury and completing his rite of passage as a real Viking. He was still contemplating a way to make it up to Astrid for helping him out when he heard a faint _'pssst'_ coming from his window. Glancing towards said window, it was apparent that the sun had barely risen.

 _Guess I'm not the only one who can't sleep_. He thought to himself

"The girl of my dreams at my window before sunrise calling for me. I am honoured, milady."

"Shut it and get out here! Aren't you excited to find that Night Fury?"

"Of course I am. Which is why…"

Hiccup, fully dressed and ready to go, leapt out of his window and parkour-ed down the neighbouring tree.

"…I was already prepared!"

"Alrighty then. Let's go!"

The two youngsters quickly headed for the woods, Hiccup leading the way using an estimate of where he calculated the dragon to have fallen. From the direction, speed, altitude and angle the Night Fury had fallen from, he guessed its location to be somewhere around Raven Point. After a short trek, they had reached the entrance to said place, and kept their eyes peeled for any sign of the downed dragon. The search was concluded quickly when they found a noticeably damaged part of the forest, and knew the infamous unholy offspring of lightning and death itself was nearby. Following the trail of destruction, they finally came across **it**.

A black, sleek form lay sideways on the ground, bound by a bola around its midsection. It looked so pathetic, so helpless, as it lay there; supposedly tired after having thrashed about for a period of time. Hiccup crept closer to the dragon, remaining on the cautious side as he wasn't sure what the dragon was still capable of. As he approached, the dragon appeared to have sensed his presence and began moaning pitifully. It cracked an eye open to look at its captor, and Hiccup noticed that it seemed… _afraid?_

 _This can't be, can it? Dragons are supposed to be vicious, mindless beasts that raid us mercilessly. So, how can this Night Fury being showing signs of fear?_ Hiccup thought to himself, and then decided to get a second opinion.

"Hey Astrid, is it just me, or does Mr Night Fury here look kind of scared?"

"Now that you mention it, it kind of does…"

"Do you realize what this means?"

"Uhh…that dragons aren't really all we thought they were?"

"Exactly…"

Hiccup stepped back, observing the Night Fury as it observed him. It gave a pitiful wail, then closed its eye and laid its head back down as if accepting its fate. The two teens stared at what was supposed to be the most feared dragon known to mankind, reduced to such a state, and as much as they wanted to feel that it deserved as such, they couldn't help but feel sorry for it. Astrid, having been trained to be a hardened warrior from a young age, decided Hiccup might need a push to finish off the dragon and accomplish his life-long dream. However, as she was about to speak, he had arrived at a decision.

"I did this…if I kill it here and now I doubt I'll ever be able to live with myself. I'm…letting it go."

"W-What? Did I hear you wrongly babe?"

"No Astrid, you didn't."

Hiccup turned to look her in the eye.

"I will not sacrifice my soul to Hel just to feel like a "real Viking". This…this isn't me. I'm not a killer, and neither are you. I've noticed you never deal the finishing blow when you're out in the fray. You may be a warrior, but more than that, you're a protector, not a killer. You defend the village; you only fight back when what you want to keep safe is at stake. You've defended me, all these years, from the constant bullying of Snotlout. As for me, I'm a smith. A creator. An inventor. I give life to things, not take them. If…if I were to take this life here today, sure, I'll probably get what I've always wanted, and probably more so, but I doubt I will ever have the courage to face myself again…"

Astrid pondered his words, and truth be told, she was awed. Her respect for Hiccup only grew as she listened to him, and she couldn't help but love him even more. _Courage, he said._ Hearing that word took her on a trip through memory lane, as her late Uncle Finn had once told her. _"Man fears that which they do not comprehend. They are afraid of change, and that is the reason for their downfall. Many empires have crumbled through the centuries, and one thing they have in common is their refusal to adapt. To see things in a different light. Vikings like us, we are a stubborn bunch. Even now, I am sure we will die out soon enough if we continue on like this. I only hope that someday, one of us might gather the courage to be different. To stand out despite his, or her, fears of being out-casted. To consider possibilities, options, a new way of life, and begin a new era. It could be anyone; a housewife, a shepherd, a warrior, a blacksmith, a trader, you, or maybe even a hiccup. I may or may not live to see it within this lifetime, but I hope you will little one. Then you will have a brighter future with better prospects, where perhaps you will find a man you love and settle down with him, and raise children safely and happily without fear. A future where you need not raise a new generation of warriors to fight an everlasting war. Courage takes on many different forms, but I believe only the most courageous will be up to this test._

"You're really amazing you know that?"

"I try my best milady."

The dragon's eyes snapped open as it heard a sawing noise, and swivelled to find the source of the sound. While it was unsuccessful at finding out what was going on, it did feel the ropes around it becoming loose. Sensing freedom, it gathered a burst of strength and broke free of its confinement, then turned to find the humans who had freed it despite having apparently shot it down in the first place. Torn between anger and curiosity, it really wanted to kill them for causing it so much pain, yet it felt indebted as they had not harmed it any further and had in fact set it free. Still slightly wary of the two Vikings who stood before it, it gave a low, warning growl as it crept closer to them for a quick sniff.

"H-Hey boy…or girl? Can you understand us?"

The Night Fury sat on its haunches a few paces away and to their surprise, nodded. It was glaring at the dagger in Hiccup's hand and its pupils were slits. Hiccup noticed its intense gaze at the hand holding the dagger, and decided that since it hadn't made any move to attack them, there was no need for a weapon, so he sheathed the dagger and placed it on a nearby rock. Upon returning, he noticed that its pupils were now dilated and it looked kind of…cute? Who would've thought, the unholy offspring of lightning and death could look cute?

"So…you're a male I guess?"

The dragon nodded.

"You're…not going to eat us I hope?"

The dragon snorted and made a supposedly disgusted expression while furiously shaking his head.

"That's nice to know. Would you like some fish? I'll bet you're hungry."

Upon hearing the word "fish", the Night Fury's ears perked up and it began panting, looking for all the world like a cute puppy begging for a treat. The sight was just too precious. Astrid had thought to pack some food before heading out, and tossed a fish jerky she had brought to Hiccup. Hiccup then held out the fish towards the dragon, which crept closer to him. When it was inches away from Hiccup, it opened its jaw, preparing to snatch the fish up.

"Huh, toothless. I could've sworn you had-"

Teeth grew out from its gums, and it quickly took the fish and ate it in two bites.

"Teeth…wow, retractable teeth. That's pretty cool."

The dragon, having finished the treat, was now looking at Hiccup strangely, and then proceeded to regurgitate half of the fish jerky it had just eaten and deposit it into Hiccup's still-outstretched hands. It once again sat back on its haunches and stared at Hiccup, who was staring at the saliva covered fish jerky in his hands.

"Umm…I take it you want to share…?"

 _*Nod*_

"You really don't have to. It's all yours," he said, holding the fish jerky out to the dragon. Its response was to make a swallowing motion. Hiccup could hear Astrid trying to stifle a laugh behind him.

Seemingly having no say in the matter, Hiccup tried his best to swipe as much saliva as possible from a section of the jerky, then took a bite and swallowed. He grimaced as he tasted some of the dragon's saliva, but forced the food down regardless.

"…thanks for sharing."

The dragon licked its chops.

"Say, can I call you Toothless?"

The Night Fury narrowed its eyes, appearing to pondering the name (or perhaps the idea of a human naming him), then decided it was fine and nodded.

"Alright then. Hello Toothless, I'm, er, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, pleased to, er, make your acquaintance Mr Night Fury. To start things off, is there any particular reason why you don't, um, seem to be interested in eating us?" Hiccup stammered out, unsure if the question was appropriate; especially when he was addressing a flying, fire breathing reptile.

Toothless' response was to swipe at his tongue furiously while making a retching noise.

"We…taste bad…?"

 _*Nod*_

"Ooookayyy, does this just so happen to be your personal preference?"

 _*Shake*_

 _Well I guess that DOES make sense, seeing as they don't take off with humans, just our livestock._

"So…things can remain civil between us I hope?"

 _*Nod*_

"Alright, great. Well to start off, I'm really sorry for shooting you down. I was just, y'know, trying to make a name for myself in my village. To just…fit in, really. But that's before I realized that you're not just some mindless killing monster of some sort. Being alive and able to hold this conversation with you is proof of what I have just come to realize. This beauty here, she's my girlfriend Astrid. She's been the only person who has stuck by me through all my ups and downs; though it's mostly downs since I'm considered somewhat of a klutz back in my village.

Anyway, let's get down to business. I was hoping you could provide some insight as to why you guys raid us for our livestock. I mean, sure we all need to eat, but couldn't you hunt your own food? I doubt you guys are incapable of surviving without stealing our supplies, and I'm sure it's safer and less troublesome than having to fight us to get food. Is it possible for the raids to stop?"

At this, Toothless shook his head vigorously and let out a woeful moan, then shifted his gaze towards Helheim's Gate with a vicious glare. He then proceeded to regurgitate the rest of the fish jerky he had just eaten onto the ground, stood to his full height and spread his impressive wings, and gobbled up the food.

Hiccup and Astrid looked at each other warily.

"So…there's this huge dragon boss in Helheim's Gate that's forcing you guys to raid us to feed it?"

Toothless nodded his head and moaned pitifully.

"Oh man…that sounds horrible. Astrid, we have to help them!"

"And just what to do you intend to do about this Hiccup? We can barely hold our own against these so-called underlings, how do you intend to take down a dragon that other dragons fear? Unless you mean…"

"Yeah, I fully intend to get help. What say you Toothless? Do you think we have a shot at taking this big bully down?"

Toothless had appeared hopeful at first, but suddenly seemed agitated about something behind him.

"Toothless, what's wrong?"

The Night Fury looked devastated as he swung his tail around for them to see what had happened.

"By Thor's beard! Half of his tailfin has been ripped off! Oh you poor thing…" Hiccup regarded him sadly, feeling extremely remorseful for having caused this magnificent creature such pain. "I swear to Odin, I will do everything I can to fix that. I doubt you can ever forgive me for committing such an atrocity, but I hope you can at least give me a chance to help you. Will you accept my help?"

Toothless, although still extremely saddened by the loss of half of his tailfin and by extension, his ability to fly, had at the very least still come to the conclusion that the humans before him no longer held any ill will towards him, and nodded in acceptance. He could feel Hiccup's remorse practically radiating from his being, and decided there would be no harm in trying to cooperate with these humans for the greater good of both humans and dragons by taking out the Bad Queen.


End file.
